Appearences Can Be Decieving
by LunaGrrl
Summary: Someone's got their eye on Lilian will he finally get the courage to ask this lovely Diva out?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Author: Luna

Feedback: Always appreciated!

Archive: Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

Rating: PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

Pairings: Lilian?

Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

Summary: Someone's got their eye on Lilian will he finally get the courage to ask this lovely Diva out?

Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.

Anything else: Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

Author's Note: Normally I would send this to my beta to make any necessary corrections, however she's unfamiliar with the WWE so I'm going to send this story out WITHOUT it being beta'ed. Please keep that in mind when you review. Thank you for your time and patience.

The ring announcer stormed out of the makeshift office, her blue eyes so dark with anger they looked black. 'That revolting little pig,' Lilian thought with disgust. She was not going to make a spectacle of herself in that manner. How dare he even think to put her in a bra and panties match!

It wasn't that she thought herself above the other wrestlers. In fact, she thought she was a step down. These ladies were trained professionals, and Lilian knew she couldn't begin to compete. Sure she was pretty. Everyone said so, but that little voice in the back of her head never let her really believe the compliments about her appearance.

Absorbed in her thoughts she didn't even notice the person coming from the opposite direction until she ran into them, literally. Strong arms shot out and steadied the announcer. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled as she turned her gaze to the person she'd tried to run over.

"It's not a problem Lilian," Jazz replied. She tilted her head to the side as she got a good look at her fellow diva. "Anything wrong?"

The blonde threw a glare at the door she'd just left. Her lips compressed to keep the scathing comments about Raw's general manager to herself. The dark skinned wrestler followed the other woman's gaze and nodded knowingly. "What'd he do this time?" Blue eyes met a chocolate brown stare. The announcer gave a small sigh before confessing what had her so hot under the collar.

"What!" The notoriously vicious wrestler exclaimed.

"It's not just the match with Nidia. It's the fact that he as much as said that if I don't do it, I can kiss my job good-bye." The blonde folded her arms over her stomach and shook her head. "What am I going to do?"

"Why don't you call someone," Jazz suggested.

A delicately plucked eyebrow rose. "And just whom should I call?"

The wrestler shrugged. "But if you do nothing you're going to get your ass handed to you," she stated mater-of-factly. "She's not exactly known for her manners."

Lilian snorted. "No kidding." Again the eyebrow arched. "And isn't that a bit like the pot calling the kettle black?"

Jazz patted the announcer's arm affectionately. "Yeah so don't let this little encounter get around. I got a rep to protect." With that the other woman walked off.

Lilian knew that she had things to do before Raw officially kicked for the night. She had things to do and one of them was trying to find a way out of the predicament that she now found herself in. As unlikely as it seemed there just had to be a way around her wrestling tonight. Determination etched in every line of her pretty face she strode down the corridor and off to her work.

Unbeknownst to the pair that had been talking, there had been another listening in to their conversation. The smile that graced his features would have put the sun to shame. He had an idea. A damn good idea too! Now he only hoped that he'd be able to pull this off without looking like a fool.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Author: Luna

Feedback: Always appreciated!

Archive: Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

Rating: PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

Pairings: Lilian?

Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

Summary: Someone's got their eye on Lilian will he finally get the courage to ask this lovely Diva out?

Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.

Anything else: Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

Author's Notes: Normally I would send this to my beta to make any necessary corrections, however she's unfamiliar with the WWE so I'm going to send this story out WITHOUT it being beta'ed. Please keep that in mind when you review. Thank you for your time and patience.

Chapter Two 

As the night wore on, the more the worry of her up coming match weighed on Lilian's mind. She still didn't have any idea about how to get out of it. Everyone that she'd spoken to had even less advice then Jazz had had. It was not encouraging to say the least.

Outwardly she never showed the strain of her ordeal. Her smile was just a bright, her demeanor just as friendly. The entire roster was buzzing about her match. The women were horror struck, well most of them, and the men… well let's just say they were really looking forward to tonight.

It wasn't that they hadn't noticed how attractive she was. It had more to do with that fact that she managed to embody both innocence and sex appeal. The combination had more then one male on the roster in her thrall, even if she was completely unaware of it.

Her match with Nidia was going to be the high point for the first half of Raw. With a feeling of dread she handed off her announcing duties to Jonathan. He gave her a sympathetic smile and reluctantly took the mike from her.

Lilian's feet felt leaden. They didn't want to make the trek to the locker room any more than they wanted to make the trip back to the ring. She, however, wasn't going to let Eric get the best of her by acting like a child and refusing to do this.

In the locker room her feelings of anxiety increased as she scanned the contents of her travel case. The majority of the clothing was skirts and dresses. That wouldn't do, not at all! She wanted to keep her clothes on!

There was a knock on the locker room door. "Um... Ms. Garcia?"

The voice was unfamiliar, probably one of the numerous stagehands that the WWE employed. "Yes?"

"I've got a package for you," he responded.

The blonde's brows drew together. Who would be sending her a package and why now? 'Only one way to find out,' she thought as she crossed the room and opened the door. The man on the other side looked uncomfortable. In his hands was a large mustard colored envelope. She was even more confused now then when she'd been told she had a package.

The older gentleman handed her his burden. Once that was done he turned and left Lilian standing in the doorway looking confused. A cameraman stood a short distance away capturing the whole scene and televising the entire thing.

Watching the monitor in another locker room, an agitated wrestler paced as he gnawed his thumbnail, pleading with the screen. He didn't know what had possessed him to do this. If it wasn't well received he could wind up looking like the biggest fool on the planet "Open it. Open it."

The locker room door opened and the redhead rolled her eyes at the display. "Why don't you try actually talking to her," asked the now sidelined diva.

"Bite me, Lee," he replied without breaking eye contact with the monitor.

"She's got a point," Kane said as he entered the room right behind her. Despite what the show would have the viewers believe, the big red machine and Lita did not despise each other. Theirs was a solid friendship, which is probably what made the hatred seem so believable.

"Not you too," the wrestler exclaimed. "It's bad enough I get from her, but now I have hear it from you too." He was working himself up to a royal pout.

"Well if you spoke to her you might actually get a shot at asking her out," the big man said.

"Oh shut up! Both of you." His brows knitted and his arms crossing over his chest.

Shaking her head she turned and closed the door. With trembling hands she slowly opened the package. What fell into her hands couldn't have shocked her more if it'd been a live snake. Though this "present" didn't have teeth. A slip of paper fluttered to the floor.

Lilian ignored that for the moment and studied the gifts that had been sent. It was a pair of black jeans, a rather clingy looking long sleeved sapphire blue shirt, and finally a pair of black eight hole Doc Martins. A look at the tag on the jeans, and the bottoms of the shoes revealed that someone had known her sizes. Of course someone could have talked to one of the girls in costuming to find those out.

The thoroughly flummoxed announcer picked up the note. A carefully typed message read, "Thought you m­ight need these. A. Friend." Nothing more, nothing less. It left her completely baffled. Someone had gone to the trouble to obtain her dress size and help her.

It was common knowledge that Lilian rarely wore anything other then skirts and dresses to the arenas. Her duties were normally nothing more strenuous than the occasional interview. However it was the note that piqued her curiosity. It was typed, which to her mind meant that it was someone she knew, and that she would recognize his or her handwriting.

That thought gave her pause. If it was one of the guys that wouldn't explain a thing. She wasn't in a position to bolster his career. So why would they even be interested in her. She sighed; it always came down her insecurities. About the only thing Lilian was confident about was her singing ability. That was something no one could argue with; her talent was undeniable.

Another knock on the locker room door brought her out of her reverie. "Yeah?"

"Ms. Garcia, you have fifteen minutes," the stagehand told her.

"Okay," the announcer replied. She slumped onto the bench the clothing still clutched in her hands. She drew a deep breath and gave herself a mental shake. She could do this; she would do this.

With that thought firmly in mind she began to change from announcer to wrestler. As she shed her normal evening attire her entire attitude shifted. Each piece of clothing that was replaced was a like a brick in a wall. Replaced was the friendly, caring announcer that all of the wrestlers never minded talking to.

The woman that walked out of that locker room had a narrow-minded focus. Not only would she go out to that ring, she was going to make Nidia very sorry that she had ever entered the ring against her. Now if she could only get the butterflies in her stomach to calm down the transformation would be complete.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Author: Luna

Feedback: Always appreciated!

Archive: Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

Rating: PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

Pairings: Lilian?

Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

Summary: Someone's got their eye on Lilian will he finally get the courage to ask this lovely Diva out?

Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.

Anything else: Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

Author's Notes: I would like to thank everyone for their kind comments. It's helped me continue this story.

Chapter Three 

People looked twice as Lilian passed them without a word. It was more effort to put one foot in front of the other than it should have been. This was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. Sure, she'd had other distasteful duties but none of them were likely to end with a trip to the hospital. Her blonde tresses were swept up in a bun. She wasn't going to let hair be used as a weapon against her.

The announcer didn't have many advantages going into this and she didn't want to give her competition a leg up. She may not know how to wrestle but she could fight. She had been one of very few girls in the family so her cousins and brothers had made sure that she could defend herself.

It didn't matter what she showed the roster or even the fans. The simple fact was she could lie to everyone else but she couldn't lie to herself. She knew the truth. She was scared stiff. Lilian had very serious doubts about this. It had been easier to think she could do this while she was safely ensconced in a locker room.

She took her place by the curtain and waited for her music to hit the air before stepping through. Her eyes fell and hardened on the Raw GM. His plastic smile was visible from the head of the ramp. It turned her resentment up a notch. She stalked down to the ring intent on getting this thing over with as quickly as possible.

Lilian paused halfway down the ramp as Eric brought the mike to his mouth. "So glad you could join us Lilian," he smirked out at the crowd. They had the good sense to boo him. She folded her arms over her stomach, her whole posture radiating suppressed anger. "Well what are you waiting for?"

The blonde rolled her eyes at the GM. He was too cocky for his own good. One of these days he's going to piss off the wrong person and he's going to be knocked down a peg or three. She just hoped she was around to see it. Slowly the announcer mounted the stairs.

Never in her time with the WWE had she been afraid to climb through those ropes. She was now. She took a deep breath released it slowly and stepped into the ring. She kept her blue eyes trained warily on the man across from her as she waited for her opponent.

Nidia's music hit the air and chants of bitch echoed in the air. The brunette sneered at the crowd, and leveled a hateful stare on the announcer. In the young woman's opinion Lilian wasn't a diva. She was a glorified lackey. The fact that Eric had the nerve to place that woman in the same ring with her made her furious.

Lilian wracked her brain trying to figure out why the other woman was so angry with her. She'd never portrayed the young woman in a bad light, never said anything derogatory about her. The blonde's anxiety skyrocketed as the brunette stomped up the stairs and literally threw herself into the ring. 'This is not going to end pretty,' she thought dismally.

Both women turned hostile stares on the general manager of Raw. His fake smile widened. 'Two birds with one stone,' the man thought with another arrogant smirk for the crowd. Nidia had been a pain in his side since she'd arrived at Raw and now he had the satisfaction of pissing her off. Lilian thought she was too good for him so he slapped her with the ultimate humiliation, this match.

He brought the mike to his mouth once again and took in their heated glares, their hatred of him turning up his smile about a hundred notches. "As I'm sure you ladies are aware," the GM leered at both the crowd then the women standing a few feet away from him. "This match is to continue you until one of you are reduced to her bra and panties."

Lilian rolled her eyes. The match was pretty self-explanatory. She began to wonder what the little weasel had up his sleeve. It had to be something truly disgusting if he was involving himself in the match preliminaries. As if to confirm her thoughts the lights dimmed and music hit the air. The blonde groaned. "Not this jackass," she muttered to herself.

Nidia took one look at who was coming down the ramp in a referee's jersey no less and lost it. She pushed her face into the general manager's, for a moment completely forgetting about the mike he held. "You expect him to call this match fairly," she shrilly inquired. When Eric just smiled wider and nodded she dissolved into a Spanish diatribe.

The ref entered the ring his arrogant swagger matched only by his idiocy. There weren't too many divas, or even men for that matter, that liked the special guest. Test stood in the middle of the ring leering at the two women.

Lilian crossed her arms self-consciously. Even covered as she was, she felt like she was naked under that disgusting gaze. When the man actually licked his lips she couldn't help the shudder that ran through her body.

In the locker room backstage he was throwing a fit. Eric had lost his mind! Test didn't give a rat's ass about women or their safety. It seriously looked like the GM was trying to put one of the girls in the hospital. Given what they all knew it looked like the only way his crush was leaving tonight was in an ambulance.

He cursed and began pacing. His mind tried to come up with a way to help her without betraying the fact that he had feelings for the announcer. He had it! Or at lest he thought he did. As he chased that thought down to its smallest detail the match raged on.

The two women circled each other. Both looked for a weakness that could be exploited. The women locked up. Lilian had seen enough matches to be able to do that without looking foolish. However Nidia, with ring experience, quickly turned it into a side headlock.

Lilian fought against the rising panic. Panicking wouldn't help her situation in the least. Stop, think, her brain demanded. A small sly smile graced the announcer's face as she dropped down to the mat.

The unexpected action managed to free her neck from the diva's hold. The brunette glared down at the other woman. Her leg pulling back and that was what the blonde had been waiting for. She launched herself at the other woman catching her in the stomach.

Lawler and JR were wondering just when Lilian had mastered the spear. Their fellow announcer had never to their knowledge been trained to wrestle. Yet, she'd executed that move with flawless precision.

As the two landed Lilian grabbed the bottom of the younger woman's shirt and when she rolled away she took Nidia's shirt with her. The blonde knew better than to start getting cocky. That's when things usually went south.

The brunette shrieked with outrage and flung herself at the announcer. It was a good thing her brothers and cousins had taught her to fight back. Otherwise this would have been nothing more than a mugging.

Still Lilian took a fair amount of hits. She was dazed and tired. There was too much adrenaline in her system for pain to be a factor yet, but it was there tugging at the edges of her mind. Cool air hitting her flesh let her know that Nidia was trying to take her shirt.

Newfound strength surged through the blonde as she bucked and fought to keep her clothing on her body. Her wild movements brought her knee in contact with the diva's jaw and the young woman released her hold on the top, staggering back.

The blonde took the opportunity to roll away and take stock of her situation. Surprisingly Test hadn't interfered in the match and had called this as fairly as any of the others would have. That didn't mean that the announcer trusted him, not in the least, but it was a nice change of pace for the usually abrasive man.

"Come on, come on you can do this," he urged the blonde on the monitor.

"You know if you went down to the ring you could actually help her," Lita said.

He rolled his eyes at the redhead. "Yeah or Test could disqualify Lilian because I was a distraction and force her down to her underwear," he replied snidely.

"Well could you possibly do that," she waved a hand to indicate his pacing. "Somewhere else. You're starting to give me a headache."

"Then close your eyes," he shot back.

The crowd's gasp brought the young wrestler's gaze back to the monitor and he winced.

Lilian was reeling. That had been one hell of hit. The diva hadn't held anything back on it either. She knew she was going to be sporting a bruise tomorrow. The sound of ripping fabric brought the blonde out of her stupor.

She brought the heel of her hand sharply up into the other woman's nose. It was a lucky blow to be sure, but still it angered the young brunette. Nidia gave the blonde a shoulder to the midsection. She pushed the announcer into the corner, continuing to administer shoulders to the midsection.

Lord above she'd never hurt this bad. Weakly Lilian clasped her hands and brought them down on the other woman's back. It had little effect. Test, in true ref fashion, began the count. The angry brunette turned on the man, giving him a piece of her mind.

Lilian knew that her time was short. Nidia would be back on her soon. She took advantage of the rest that the ref had unwittingly provided. The blonde refused to let the pain take away her focus. She still had to get through this match.

Nidia was outraged. First, she had this ridiculous match with Lilian. Now, she had to deal with an asshole like Test pretending to be a ref. It was more then the young woman could take. One particular unfortunate comment from said ref and the brunette drew her hand back and slapped the man's face. Hard.

'Ouch! That had to hurt,' Lilian thought. Not one to let an opportunity pass her by she grabbed the back of Nidia's too short shorts and pulled with all of her strength. The shorts, Nidia, and Lilian all fell to the mat.

The announcer knew better than to stick around. She rolled out of the ring holding the shorts aloft. It was a great feeling and the crowd's roaring approval made it that much sweeter. The ring bell sounded and Jonathan told the audience what they already knew. Test lifted her hand in victory.

Nothing could dispel this feeling she thought happily. She should have known better though. Test's lips came down on hers and she couldn't help the shudder of revulsion that filled her. She jerked back as if stung and did the first thing that came to mind. She slapped his face.

Lilian stared in horror as all hell broke loose.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Author: Luna

Feedback: Always appreciated!

Archive: Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, WWEFanFiction2003, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

Rating: PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

Pairings: Lilian?

Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

Summary: Someone's got their eye on Lilian will he finally get the courage to ask this lovely Diva out?

Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.

Anything else: Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm still not too sure whom I'm going to be pairing Lilian up with but as soon as I know so will you! LOL. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

Author's Notes: All your encouragement has meant the world to me. It gave me courage to go on when I didn't think I had the talent. Thank you to everyone that reviewed. YOU'RE THE BEST!

**Chapter Four**

Nidia snatched her shorts from the blonde. She cocked her own arm back and slapped the announcer, hard. She slapped her hard enough to snap the other woman's head around.

Lilian stood there gaping. Her cheek stung but the thing that kept her frozen in place was the three men that came through the curtain. She couldn't have been more shocked if she'd been told grass was blue.

Her feet moved of their own volition. They carried her to the edge of the ring. Her fear of the advancing hoard had her scrambling into the ring. They followed her like a pack of rabid dogs.

His eyes shot wide and his friends echoed his "Oh shit!" They tore out of the locker room intent on dishing out their own unique brand of justice. They were joined by others and may have looked like a rag tag bunch but they would not let what was happening go.

Kane, Lita, Rob, Rodney, Jazz and Shane Helms all made their way, hopefully to rescue a still in one-piece Lilian. Their footfalls echoed strangely through the hallways as they ran to ring side. The crowd's roar of approval barely registered with the superstars.

The sight that met their eyes filled them with a sense of dread. Test had a handful of Lilian's hair, his finger wagging in her face. Her blue eyes were wide with fear and loathing. Nidia advanced from the other side, her intentions written all over her face, and none of them were good. Chris and William Regal stood guard as the pair humiliated the blonde woman.

On the floor Christian and Trish Stratus waited by the ring. They were there to make sure that no unexpected visitors interrupted what was happening in the ring. Things did not look good for the Raw announcer.

Most of the roster knew why Christian, William, and Nowinski were out there. The blonde beauty had turned them down. She had made it clear that she wasn't interested in any of them and they had taken the rejection very, VERY personally.

Nowinski tapped Test on the shoulder but the older man ignored him. The Harvard grad just shrugged his shoulders. He figured that if Test wanted to get his ass whipped that was the other man's business. He rolled out of the ring and made his exit via the crowd just as Rodney and Jazz made their presence known.

Jazz tapped Nidia's shoulder. The brunette turned angry eyes on the other woman and paled considerably at the face grinning evilly back at her. The African-America beauty landed a wicked right hook. It left the scantily clad Nidia sprawled in the middle of the squared circle. A clubbing blow to her back brought Jazz sharply around and face to face with William Regal.

His thin lips twisted into a cruel smirk as he pulled his arm back. The diva knew enough about the man to know that she couldn't let him land that blow. She threw up her own arms catching his before he could hit her. Her hands slid further back onto his shoulder and brought her knee up to meet his face. The British native crumpled to the mat and Jazz stepped back as Rob rolled into the ring to take over.

The dark skinned diva's eyes landed on Lita as she tried to stave off a very pissed Trish Stratus. Only when the blonde made to kick at the redhead's stomach did she intervene. The unmitigated gall of the women's champion to try and intentionally hurt the pregnant wrestler pissed her off more than anything.

Jazz vaulted over the top rope and landed unerringly onto the bottle blonde bitch. They both fell in an undignified heap to the floor. The African-America woman was the first of the two to recover and she quickly got to her feet. Lita and Jazz proceeded to beat the hell out of the other woman.

Knowing that there was no way to win this fight Trish got to her feet and fled back up the ramp. Her eyes landed on Christian, who was trading blows with Shane Helms and not faring too well. There wasn't really anything at stake here and she couldn't see staying any longer. With a final glare directed at Jazz and Lita the women's champ retreated behind the curtain.

Lilian stood stunned in the ring as she watched Rodney and Kane take turns beating on Test. She was unaware that she had so many friends. Lita she could understand. They were friends outside of work, so by extension she knew why Kane and Shane were out there, but the others were a shock to her.

It wasn't that she was mean or rude to anyone. She just thought that people habitually saw her as part of the furniture, someone they could, and often did, overlook until they had to work with her. This show of support left her speechless, and a little awed.

A gentle hand touched her face. She looked into Lita's concerned eyes, scanned the woman and nodded to herself. "When we saw what was going on we had to come," the wrestler explained.

"I appreciate that," she told the diva.

The redhead put an arm around the announcer and walked her from the ring. The two chattered as they made their way up the ramp. Neither noticed the young man standing in the ring watch forlornly as they disappeared from sight.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Author: Luna

Feedback: Always appreciated!

Archive: Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

Rating: PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

Type:

Pairings: Lilian?

Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

Summary:

Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.

Anything else: Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm still not too sure whom I'm going to be pairing Lilian up with but as soon as I know so will you! LOL. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

Author's Notes: All your encouragement has meant the world to me. It gave me courage to go on when I didn't think I had the talent. Thank you to everyone that reviewed. YOU'RE THE BEST!

Chapter Five 

He stood and stared at his reflection. Was he really invisible or was there something else that he was missing? His gut had twisted when Lilian had left the ring last week and never once looked back. Something had shifted that night. He was now bound and determined to make the lovely ring announcer notice him.

The only question now was, how? He came up with and discarded multiple ideas. It had to be suave enough to impress her, yet down to earth enough for him to be comfortable. He threw his hands up in the air, sending his eyes heaven ward hoping for divine intervention.

"Give it up man. Just ask her out," came Kane's gravelly voice.

Startled the man jumped; whirling he glared at the intruder. "Could you possibly make some noise? It's damn eerie the way you manage to sneak up on people," he snapped.

The big red machine just shrugged one shoulder and stepped aside as Lita entered the room. "You're hopeless. You know that, right," the redhead asked her friend.

"Then why do you keep hanging out with me," he asked arching an eyebrow.

"I keep hoping I'll rub off on you."

"Don't you mean you keep hoping to rub up on me," he joked.

"You wish," she shot back.

"A guy can dream," he said with a smile.

"Aren't your dreams supposed to include a certain blonde haired ring announcer," she responded archly.

"Shhh," he hissed. His eyes scanned the door to make sure no one else had heard her. "Do you have to be so freakin' loud?"

"What's it going to take to get you to ask that woman out," the exasperated diva asked.

"A dare," Matt replied as he strolled into the room.

"Matt," both exclaimed.

Lita jumped up from her seat on the bench to embrace her boyfriend. The two men locked eyes over the petite redhead. The other man shook his head furiously. Matt grinned devilishly, leaned down and whispered into his girlfriend's ear. "Triple dog dare gets him ever time."

Lita smiled conspiratorially, slapping his chest playfully. "Don't do that," she said jokingly. She wasn't sure quite why it was that even after all this time Matt could still send shivers down her spine with his voice alone. She was aware that he didn't want their friend to know what she had been told and acted accordingly.

Kane looked on indulgently, as the other man rolled his eyes and made gagging noises. "Would you two get a room?"

"We already have one," the elder Hardy smirked.

"You're not doing that in here," he exclaimed.

Kane chuckled when he got a glimpse of the devilish gleam in Lita's eyes. "We could always go back to pestering you," she said innocently turning from Kane to the other man.

"Fine, as long as you two are going to get horizontal," he replied sullenly.

"All right then," came the lighthearted reply. "I dare you to ask her out."

"Who," the other man asked feigning ignorance.

"Lilian," Lita snapped.

"Ah, no," came the quick reply.

The redhead smiled wickedly. "Okay then, I double dare you," she said, knowing he would refuse even that.

The other man eyed her warily before shooting her down again.

"Triple dare you," she said again.

Their eyes locked and again the challenge was rejected.

"I triple dog dare you," the redhead said slowly.

His mouth dropped open. He wanted to refuse yet again, but it was like he came upon a stumbling block and couldn't force the words out of his mouth. Sweat popped out on his forehead as he stared at his friend. His eyes pleaded with her to take the words back.

Lita looked at him expectantly. She knew that he wouldn't be able to refuse; in fact she had counted on it. Part of her wanted to let him off the hook, but if she did that then the rest of them would be subjected to his incessant whining about the blonde announcer.

"Done," he said and his eyes were wide as saucers. He couldn't believe he'd said it. He hadn't meant to; in fact he'd been readying a denial when the word just popped out. He broke out in a cold sweat. What had he done?

The redhead rose from the bench and looked at Kane and Matt. "Food?"

"Food," they responded.

The young man dropped to the bench, his head in his hands. He couldn't believe he done something so stupid, for something so important. He wished he could take it back, but knowing his friends he knew they wouldn't let him. 'God, I hope she never finds out about this,' he thought to himself

He left the room to follow his friends. He never looked back. If he had he might have seen the bleach blonde trying hard to stifle her laughter. 'Oh this is just too good,' she thought as she turned around and went back the way she came.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Author: Luna

Feedback: Always appreciated!

Archive: Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

Rating: PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

Type:

Pairings: Lilian?

Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

Summary:

Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.

Anything else: Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm still not too sure whom I'm going to be pairing Lilian up with but as soon as I know so will you! LOL. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

Author's Notes: All your encouragement has meant the world to me. It gave me courage to go on when I didn't think I had the talent. Thank you to everyone that reviewed. YOU'RE THE BEST!

Chapter Six 

The company was alive with excitement. The boss was throwing a big shindig. No one was quite sure why and they weren't about to question it either. All they knew was that it was scheduled to happen at the end of the week. It was a black tie affair. Dinner would be served. Rumor had it Vince was worried about losing his wrestlers to the other companies and this was his way of making sure no one jumped ship.

The shy young wrestler stood around twiddling his thumbs for two weeks. Now he had to work up the courage to ask his favorite blonde to the party. He valiantly hoped that no one else had already asked the pretty announcer already.

With a sigh he checked his reflection once more in the mirror. His dark blue Levis were wrinkle free and his emerald green silk shirt was tucked neatly into his jeans. The shirt brought out his eyes. There was nothing he could do about the shoes though. They were scuffed and well worn. He looked pretty good if he did say so himself.

His gaze dropped down to his hands. Unlike some men his nails were neat, even, and clean. It had always been his pet peeve. It bothered him to see unkempt hands, like it said something about the person that they couldn't even take the time to take care of their hands. His palms and fingers were roughened and calloused but that was because of his job. He couldn't keep them like an executive.

Turning away from the mirror he sighed again. It should have been so easy. He liked her and by all accounts she didn't mind spending time with him. Why couldn't he just gather his courage and ask her out? He plastered a smile on his handsome face and walked out of the locker room. He had a lady to see.

It wasn't long before he found the blonde announcer. Lilian was laughing at something the man in front of her had said. Jealousy flared brightly in the young man. It took all his self-control not to storm over and punch Shelton Benjamin in his smug face.

He was brought out of his stupor when the African-American wrestler ran his hand down Lilian's shoulder to her elbow. The other man strode toward the pair, hoping his face showed none of the emotions that were currently roiling through his gut at this precise moment.

"Looks like we've got some company," Benjamin said to the blonde in front of him.

Lilian turned her lovely face to him. Her eyes seemed to shine at him, her smile even brighter than the one she had bestowed upon Shelton. His heart stopped then began to pound a staccato in his chest. He halted a few steps from the beautiful woman before him.

"I'll just leave you two alone," Shelton said after a long pause. The pair stared at one another like a school kid with their crush. 'Oh yeah, those two got it bad,' he thought as he strolled away, a goofy grin on his face.

"Hey you," Lilian greeted him. The smile never left her face.

"Hey," he returned. His hand went up to rub the back of his neck.

"How are you," the blonde inquired as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"I'm good," he responded with a small smile. "You?"

"Can't complain." She gave a small laugh then lowered her voice to a stage whisper. The young man leaned in playing along with her. "Well, I could but it wouldn't change anything."

"What would someone as good looking as you have to complain about," he asked then quickly shut his mouth. His eyes widened as he realized what he said.

Lilian threw her head back and her tinkling laughter echoed through the hall. He could feel a blush climbing up his neck, staining his face. She laid her small hand on his arm. His heat stopped beating. Her fragrance wafted over him. She smelled of strawberries and a hint of something floral, roses perhaps.

Without thought he caught her hand in his larger one. He stared into her azure eyes and was struck again by how beautiful they were. "Lilian," he said softly. "Will you do the honor of accompanying me to McMahon's dinner?"

The blonde was stunned. She'd never thought in a million years that he would ask her to the dinner. Secretly she had hoped he would, but was far too realistic to expect it. His crestfallen expression told her that she'd been silent too long. "Someone's already beaten me to it, haven't they," he asked dismally.

She raised her free hand and cupped his cheek, gently forcing him to meet her eyes. "No. No one has asked me." The young man gaped at her. Her smile widened. "I would love to go with you to the dinner," came her earnest reply.

"Really," he asked hopefully.

"Really Shane. I couldn't think of any other superhero I'd rather go with."

The Hurricane could barely suppress the urge to jump, whoop, and shout. Without warning he scooped Lilian up in his arms and swung her around. He'd done it! He'd asked Lilian out and she'd said yes. The young wrestler pulled back and flashed her a million watt smile.

That smile had been known to melt divas at a hundred paces and now that it was directed at her she wasn't sure what to do with it or him. Her face and neck were heating up. She dropped her gaze from his face, though the giddy feeling that had entered her system since he'd asked her out was still thrumming through her veins.

"What time should I pick you up," Shane asked the announcer in his arms.

Lilian threw him a dazzling smile. "How does eight sound?"

"Sounds good to me," he replied with a smile. The smile slipped as he thought of something. "This isn't going to bother you is it?" He raised a hand to the green tipped spikes on his head.

The announcer leaned up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Not at all." She stepped out of his embrace. "See you Saturday?"

"Saturday," he said flashing that sinful smile. He watched her as she walked down the hall and turned a corner. Whistling to himself he strolled off in the other direction.

At the end of the hall a little redhead did the happy dance. 'It's about time,' she thought. Lita was glad that her two friends were finally getting together. "Just wait till I tell Matt," she cried and dashed off to their locker room.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Author: Luna

Feedback: Always appreciated!

Archive: Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

Rating: PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

Type:

Pairings: Lilian?

Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

Summary:

Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.

Anything else: Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm still not too sure whom I'm going to be pairing Lilian up with but as soon as I know so will you! LOL. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

Author's Notes: All your encouragement has meant the world to me. It gave me courage to go on when I didn't think I had the talent. Thank you to everyone that reviewed. YOU'RE THE BEST!

Chapter Seven 

Lilian floated into the room that she shared with Victoria, Stacy, and Lita. The foursome usually got some strange looks. Everyone seemed to think that they hated each other but that was far from the case. They were like sisters and always had each other's backs.

"Oooh looks like someone's got a secret," Victoria called playfully into the room.

"What's that," Stacy asked as she came around the small wall that divided the bathroom from the rest of the space. The leggy blonde looked from the raven-haired diva to the ring announcer.

"Guess who just asked me to the dinner Saturday," Lilian taunted her friends as she glided over to one of the queen-sized beds, flopping back onto it.

"By that display I'd have to say it's someone we like," Victoria commented.

"Or at least someone she likes," Stacy returned.

"Both," Lilian answered from the bed.

"So are you going to tell us or are you going to make us drag it out of you," the mercurial wrestler asked.

The blonde announcer lifted her head from the bed to glare at the two divas. "You know you two take all the fun out of having news like this," Lilian groused as the door opened.

"News like what," Lita asked, coming further into the room.

"Someone has asked our dear little Lilian to the dinner Saturday," Victoria answered.

The red head leveled her gaze on the announcer, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Oh and who is this mystery man?"

Lilian could feel her face heating up. "I'm sure you already know," the blonde countered.

"She may, but we don't," Stacy said as she gestured to Victoria and herself.

Wearily the announcer sat up on the bed and faced the three women in the room. Running a hand through her blonde locks she said, "Okay but you have to promise not to laugh."

The three women agreed. Blue eyes regarded the others looking for a long moment. Finally she said, "Shane Helms."

The blonde announcer was met with three identical expressions of disbelief. She couldn't help it. Lilian laughed until her sides ached and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. The three divas glared at the blonde announcer.

"Great just great," Lita fumed. "We can't laugh but you can yuck it up. Do you know how unfair that is?"

Victoria raised a hand to her forehead. "Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. The Hurri-dork asked you to the dinner?"

"Hey," Lilian and Lita said simultaneously turning to frown at the demented diva.

"O-kay. Sorry," the raven-haired wrestler responded.

"Well, I think it's cute," Stacy said, a sweet smile on her face.

"Thank you Stacy," Lilian replied.

"Welcome." The leggy blonde stood there for a moment before asking, "Um, you do have dress for the dinner don't you?"

"Well…" the announcer trailed off. "That's where you guys come in. I thought you could help me find the perfect dress."

The other three women in the room groaned. In their experience a shopping trip with Lilian was usually an all day affair. Lita thought the blonde announcer was far too picky. Lilian called it discerning. Call it what you liked; it all added up to the same thing, all day stuck in a mall until she found the perfect dress.

"Please girls," Lilian begged. "I'll even throw in lunch. On me," she wheedled.

"Shouldn't you be making that offer to the WWE resident superhero," Victoria joked.

"Don't you ever think of anything else," Lita asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Is there anything else," she asked innocently. The look in her eyes belied the seemingly innocuous remark.

"How did you ever get Kane to agree to go out with you," the redhead asked with a shake of her head.

"A lady never kisses and tells," Victoria answered.

"You a lady huh? Who'd a thunk it," Stacy remarked. She laughed when the mercurial wrestler flipped her the bird.

"Keep it up chuckles," the raven-haired wrestler snapped.

Lilian waved her arms in the air. "Can we get back to me please," she asked.

"Yeah, because we all know it has to be all about you," Lita teased.

The announcer raised a flawlessly plucked eyebrow at her. "Now that you know. Will you guys please go with me," she implored. She even went so far as to employ the big puppy dog eyes. When the other girls still didn't cave she let her lower lip tremble.

"Okay! God, I give," Stacy said. "I'll go."

The other two reluctantly agreed. With a squeal Lilian leaped off the bed and hugged each of her friends in turn. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You guys are the best!"

All four ladies grabbed their purses and headed out to find Lilian's dress. The ride down to the lobby was quick and they were on their way to the nearest mall. With any luck the blonde announcer would find an outfit to die for in the first store. It wasn't likely to happen. The other three women prayed for luck.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Author: Luna

Feedback: Always appreciated!

Archive: Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

Rating: PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

Type:

Pairings: Lilian?

Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

Summary:

Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.

Anything else: Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm still not too sure whom I'm going to be pairing Lilian up with but as soon as I know so will you! LOL. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

Author's Notes: All your encouragement has meant the world to me. It gave me courage to go on when I didn't think I had the talent. Thank you to everyone that reviewed. YOU'RE THE BEST!

Chapter Eight 

As it turned out they found the perfect dress well before lunch. It was a beautiful strapless red chiffon dress with streamers off the back. The bodice was accented with a row of rhinestones. The dress set off her complexion wonderfully. The guys would never know what hit them when she walked through those doors on Shane's arm.

The girls dropped the dress off back at the hotel. They were currently enjoying lunch. Their laughter and friendship made for a delightful afternoon. One by one the girls drifted off leaving Lilian to her own devices for the remainder of the evening. She walked down the street back to the hotel.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice that someone was in her path until she nearly ran them over. Reaching out instinctively she steadied the person in front of her. Once she realized whom it was that she had saved the announcer almost wished she'd let the other woman fall.

It was none other than Trish Stratus. The artificial blonde sneered at the other woman. "Why don't you watch where you're going!"

"I'm sorry," Lilian replied not really meaning it.

"You should be. You spilled coffee down the front of my favorite blouse," the busty blonde snapped.

Sure enough, there on the front of Trish's pink baby doll tee was a dark stain. Lilian barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was well known through out the company that the Canadian wrestler thought herself above the rest of the women in the WWE.

"I've already apologized. What more do you want me to do," the announcer asked exasperated.

"You're going to replace this shirt," the other woman snapped.

"I don't think so Trish. I'll pay to have it cleaned but I will not replace it," Lilian said calmly.

"What happens if they can't get the stain out?"

"Then I'll think about replacing. You're just as much at fault here as I am. You should have been watching where you were going too," the announcer said.

"You think you're so much better than I am, don't you," Trish hissed.

"What's that supposed to mean," Lilian asked incredulous.

"You've got the friends, the staff, and the guys all panting after you. Well guess what. You're not as special as you think you are," the busty blonde sneered.

Lilian's blue eyes hardened on the Canadian wrestler. "You're making me repeat myself," she said coolly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Trish laughed. "Could it be? Could it really be that the high and mighty Lilian Garcia doesn't know," she taunted the other woman.

A feeling of dread passed over the blonde announcer. "Know what," she asked quietly. All of her previous hatred of the blonde diva was gone in a wave of foreboding.

The Canadian wrestler's eyes widened along with her malicious grin. "It is. It is true," she crowed. "The lovely Lilian doesn't know that the only reason someone asked her to the dinner was because he was dared to."

If it were possible Lilian's heart would have dropped through the floor. It couldn't be true. Trish was just jealous. That had to be it. "You're lying," the announcer accused, though her voice lacked any real conviction.

"Not just a dare, but it was a triple dog dare," Trish ridiculed the other woman. The buxom blonde leaned and dropped her voice as if whisper conspiratorially, "And you know what else," she waited for the announcer to shake her head. "The whole company knows it."

Trish walked away wearing a cat that ate the canary smile. Her work was done. She had knocked that self-righteous blonde down a peg or three. The Canadian diva cast a glance over her shoulder. The blonde announcer was standing stock still in the middle of the bustling lobby. 'Oh yeah,' she thought. 'She'd shown that bimbo just who was boss around here.'

Lilian walked back to her room, her heart thoroughly broken by the news Trish had so gleefully delivered. The blonde announcer should have known better. The guys on the roster never saw her as anything other than the friend. It broke something in her.

She sat down on one of the room's two beds thankful that the others were still out. Her blonde head fell forward into her hands. The tears filled her eyes and coursed down her cheeks. The announcer rolled onto her side and began to sob. Her heart felt like it was quite literally breaking.

The blonde announcer cried out bits of her shattered heart onto the hotel's ugly floral print comforter. She cried until there were no more tears left. Her body was weak and shaky. On wobbly legs she headed toward the bathroom and a nice long hot bath.

Lilian filled the tub with warm water. Next she added her special bubble bath watching with listless eyes as they formed a frothy surface. She shed her clothes and stepped into the water, sinking low in the bathtub. The young woman let the hot water soothe her tired body and achy limbs.

Her eyes closed. In her mind she went over every little thing that he had said and done. It didn't add up. If he hadn't really wanted to ask her why had he? Sure, men could be stupid when their pride was challenged. She just didn't think that Shane was one of those guys that let his ego make decisions for him, even if a dare had been involved.

With a sigh the announcer opened her eyes more confused than when she'd closed them. Lilian couldn't make sense of what she had been told and what she had seen with her own eyes. When Shane had thought someone else had already asked her he'd looked crestfallen. That didn't fit with someone that had only asked her out on a dare.

Sighing, Lilian rose from the now tepid water. She pulled the plug on the tub. Walking over the room's mirror she wiped the fog away. She stared at her reflection for a long moment before making up her mind. She would go out with Shane tomorrow night. They would have dinner and dance together. It would only be one dance though. She decided that's where the "date" would end. She had no desire to know what else had been included on that dare. Her heart couldn't take it.

Lilian's mind was made up. She would do it. With that thought firmly in mind she changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. Hopefully, tomorrow would be over with quickly. She didn't know if she could make if the night dragged on endlessly. As she closed her eyes she wondered when guys would finally see her as something more than a coworker, more than a friend. With a final sigh she rolled over and fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Appearances Can Be Deceiving

**Author:** Luna

**Feedback:** Always appreciated!

**Archive:** Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

**Rating:** PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

**Type: **Romance, I guess.

**Pairings:** Lilian?

**Disclaimer:** Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

**Summary: **

**Spoilers:** None that I'm aware of.

**Anything else:** Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm still not too sure whom I'm going to be pairing Lilian up with but as soon as I know so will you! LOL. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

**Author's Notes:** All your encouragement has meant the world to me. It gave me courage to go on when I didn't think I had the talent. Thank you to everyone that reviewed. YOU'RE THE BEST!

Chapter Nine 

The day of the party dawned clear and bright totally at odds with how the blonde ring announcer felt. She was short, surly, and just generally disagreeable. Of course it could have had something to do with the fact that her roommates had awoken her at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning.

"Someone had damn well better be dying," were the first words out of Lilian's mouth when the covers were wrenched away from her.

"Jeez, Lil you'd think no one ever woke you up this early before," Lita chirped happily from the end of the bed.

Lilian cracked one eye open and glared at the grinning redhead. "I'm going to kill you slowly," she grumbled as she opened her other eye and slowly sat up in bed.

"You wish jelly fish," the highflying diva tossed back.

"C'mon Lilian, we need to get going," Stacy said hurriedly.

"What the hell for," the blonde snapped.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Victoria commented as she came out of the bathroom. "Up and at 'em sunshine. We're going to breakfast then we're all going out for girl time before we come back here to get ready."

The ring announcer groaned as she remembered the plan. All of them were going to go out and get their hair and nails done today. They would spend time with each other as far away from work as they could get. With a sigh Lilian pushed herself up off the bed and stumbled towards the bathroom.

"Give me about five minutes," she mumbled before closing the door.

Once the door was firmly shut she heaved a sigh. She had no idea how she was going to get through tonight but she would. She wasn't the type of person to back out of an agreement. Just thinking about what Trish had said brought another rush of confused emotions.

Lilian turned on the tap and washed her hands. She stared at her reflection; again wondered why the guys she worked with never saw her? Rolling her eyes at the turn her thoughts had taken she loaded up the toothbrush and scrubbed her teeth. The others weren't exactly known for their patience. It was a wonder that they weren't breaking down the door as it was.

As if conjured by her thoughts one of the girls pounded on the door. "Did you fall in," Lita asked merrily from the other side.

"HA HA! You're not as funny as you look you know," Lilian said after as she came out of the bathroom. She walked over to her suitcase and pulled out a pair of jean Capri pants and a light blue tank top. She walked back to the bathroom to change. It wasn't long before the ring announcer felt reasonably sure that she was ready to go. Pulling her hair back into a scrunchie she joined her friends.

"What did we decide for breakfast," Lilian asked as she slid her feet into her thongs.

"We were thinking that little bistro we passed yesterday," Victoria returned, as she made sure she had the room key in her pocket.

The blonde stifled another yawn. "Well if we're going we better get. Or I'm going back to bed," she threatened the others.

The three other girls scampered out of the room ahead of the surly announcer. They made their way to the elevator and down to the lobby. In unison the four women produced sunglasses and donned them. It was a clear warm morning. It promised to be even hotter as the day wore on.

Breakfast was an amazingly simple affair. The girls ate lightly. They chatted about everything and nothing. It was still surprising after all this time just how easy it was to lose track of time. It was hard to think that they hadn't known each other all their lives but only a couple of years.

Stacy asked for the time. When they were informed that it was after 10:30 the ladies paid for their meal. If they rushed they should be able to make it.

"You'd think we'd learn to wear a watch," Victoria mused, as they strolled into the salon.

"Well we made it, didn't we," Lilian asked.

"Only because Lita broke every speed limit known to man," Stacy countered.

"We're here. Can we please drop it," Lita asked as she brought up the rear.

"All right if you insist. I'll drop it," Victoria conceded.

"Thank you," the redheaded dare devil replied.

"For now," the raven-haired diva inserted.

The extreme wrestler rolled her eyes. "I should have known," Lita muttered.

"Yeah you should have," Lilian responded, pinching her friend's cheek.

"Will you three please knock it off," Stacy demanded. "They're going to think we're savages."

The other three shared a look then grinned at the leggy blonde manically. "We aren't," the trio asked innocently.

Stacy threw her hands up in the air. She shook her head and walked off with one of the girls from the salon. The two were talking animatedly. The others were soon separated as the salon girls got a hold of them. Victoria could be heard threatening the girl who merely laughed at her.

Lilian lost herself in the pleasure of letting someone pamper her. For the next four hours she was washed, colored, cut, styled, painted, and plucked. She'd never felt as good as she did when the four girls left the salon. It was nice letting someone else take care of those things for her.

The girls decided on a late lunch before going back to the hotel. They were talking about their dates and what they were wearing for the dinner later that evening. The reminder of what awaited Lilian made her quieter than usual. Her friends noticed and tried to draw it out of her.

"Guys, it's nothing. Just something someone said," Lilian tried tell them.

"Who," Victoria demanded.

"I'll give you three guesses," Stacy said as she studied her fellow blonde.

"She wouldn't dare," Lita snapped.

"Oh she would and did," Lilian replied, realizing that they weren't going to let it go.

"That little tramp," Victoria fumed.

"I knew I should have broken her jaw," Lita said sullenly, as she crossed her arms over her chest. If that bitchy bimbo ruined Shane and Lilian's first official date she would personally make sure that Trish got everything that was coming to her and then some.

"Guys, this isn't going to solve anything. Let's just drop it already," Lilian said tiredly.

Noticing the distress hiding behind the calm exterior Stacy intervened. "All right, but if you want to talk about it, we're here for you." The other two nodded emphatically.

Lilian reached out and grabbed her friends' hands. "I know that. And thank you."

Looking up Lita realized that they were once again running late. "We better make tracks or we'll never be ready when the boys come to get us."

The foursome hurried back to the hotel. They were rushing around trying to be ready on time. Lita and Victoria were in the bathroom applying makeup, while Stacy was at the room's only other mirror, Lilian made due with the mirror on her make up box. It wasn't the best but it wasn't bad either.

The girls took turns getting zipped into their dresses. Their nerves were all wound tight. With a final inspection Victoria grabbed her clutch, making sure her room key was in it. "Don't wait up," she called out as she made for the door.

"He's not picking you up," Stacy asked.

"Honey, I was lucky I got him to agree to go at all. I'm not about to give him a chance to back out now," she returned as she sailed out of the room.

Stacy was just slipping on her heels when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Lita said, coming out of the bathroom to answer the door.

"Hey there, good looking," Rob said to Lita.

"Stace, Rob's here," the redhead called into the room.

"I heard. The room's not that big," the blonde returned.

Rob got a good look at Stacy as she came toward him. He seemed to lose his ability for speech for just a moment before saying, "You look stunning." He kissed her cheek while she flushed prettily under the compliment. After the whole Test and Steiner incident the young blonde had feared all men were a lost cause. Rob however changed her mind about that. He really listened to her. He made her seem important. She liked the feel. A lot.

"See you guys later," Rob said easily as he led the leggy blonde out the door.

Lilian was checking her make up one last time. She pulled nervously at her dress, making sure that nothing was peeking out. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes she turned away from the mirror. Lita flashed her a brilliant smile as the two waited for their respective dates to show up.

"Think they're going to show," Lita asked as she glanced at the clock for what seemed to be the fiftieth time in the last five minutes.

As if on cue there was a knock at the door. The redhead rose from the bed and crossed the room. Lilian follow behind the other woman.

There at the door was Shane Helms and Matt Hardy. They were both smiling. Both were wearing tuxes. "We'd have been here sooner, but Matt had trouble with his tie," Shane offered by way of explanation.

"I can't help it if I'm more at home in ring attire than this monkey suit," Matt grumbled.

The girls shared at laugh at that.

'God, she looks so good,' he thought. 'Well say something stupid,' another part of him answered. Shane shook himself. He offered the ring announcer a winning smile. With a flourish he produced a bouquet of mixed flowers. "When I saw these I thought of you," he said handing them to her.

"You're making me look bad," Matt groused

Shane laughed. "You don't need any help from me to do that," he returned.

Lilian was shocked. She hadn't expected him to bring her flowers. She gave him a dazzling smile and took them from him. The blonde laid them on the room's desk, reminding herself to put them in some water when they returned later. She finally took a good look at her date for the evening.

His tuxedo wasn't the typical one seen at proms across the country. He was wearing a white-banded collar shirt with a dark red button at the top. Instead of a cummerbund it was a vest the same shade of red as her dress. Lilian shot Lita a look one of her blonde brows rising. The daredevil diva just shrugged one shoulder.

"Shall we," Shane asked as he offered the lovely blonde his arm.

Lilian slipped her hand in the crook of his arm and let him led her from the room. Neither of them aware of the smug looks Matt and Lita shot at their backs.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Appearances Can Be Deceiving

**Author:** Luna

**Feedback:** Always appreciated!

**Archive:** Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.

**Rating:** PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!

**Type: **Romance, I guess.

**Pairings:** Lilian?

**Disclaimer:** Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.

**Summary: **

**Spoilers:** None that I'm aware of.

**Anything else:** Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm still not too sure whom I'm going to be pairing Lilian up with but as soon as I know so will you! LOL. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

**Author's Notes:** All your encouragement has meant the world to me. It gave me courage to go on when I didn't think I had the talent. Thank you to everyone that reviewed. YOU'RE THE BEST!

Chapter Ten 

Lilian wasn't quite sure how it happened. She had promised herself that she would be polite but wouldn't encourage Shane. All of her carefully laid plans were thrown out the window as the young man charmed the lovely ring announcer. Several of the divas shot her dirty looks when Shane wouldn't even give them the time of day.

The ring announcer was having a wonderful time and dinner hadn't even been served yet. She let her blue eyes move across the table to Kane and Victoria. The big red machine looked decidedly uncomfortable. When his mismatched eyes met her gaze she gave him an encouraging smile.

She let her eyes move to the other couples at their table. Rob was talking quietly with Stacy, who seemed to come alive under his intense attention. Matt and Lita were like a couple of lovesick high school kids. Their heads bent close together as they whispered to each other.

Shane let one of his arms rest on the back of Lilian's chair as he leaned into her. "Are you having a good time?"

The blonde turned to look at him a smile already on her face. "Yeah I am."

"I'm glad," he said returning her smile. Hesitantly he reached for her hand and held it in his own.

Butterflies took flight in the ring announcer's stomach at the simple touch. 'I'm being so silly,' she chastised herself. However, she couldn't stop the pleasure his innocent contact invoked. They stared into each others eyes. Neither was aware of anything more than the person in front of them.

A not so subtle cough reminded them of where they were. Blushing they turned their attention to their other dinner companions. Lita arched a brow at Lilian's behavior. Being the mature adult that she was the blonde stuck her tongue out at the other woman. The table began to laugh.

Dinner, itself, was uneventful. They had grilled salmon, rice pilaf, and asparagus. To finish off the meal there was either a scoop of rainbow sherbet ice cream or slice of strawberry cheesecake. The waiters rushed around clearing the dishes from the table and bringing everyone coffee. A DJ located discreetly in one corner began playing music softly.

Slowly the couples began filling the space that had been cleared for use as a dance floor. Lilian thought it was nice to finally be at one of these functions with someone rather than being there solo. She turned and smiled at the man sitting beside her. He gave her that heart-stopping grin.

They watched the other couples as they moved on the dance floor. Shane's thumb was absently brushing over her back. There was a silence between them. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. It was one that spoke of ease between two people.

Shane asked Lilian to dance. As the pair approached the dance floor Christian and Trish were walking off. The two blondes looked at the pair in front of them then at each other and began to laugh. Lilian was rudely reminded just why Shane had asked her to the dinner in the first place.

The young man's puzzled expression went from the retreating duo to the woman that now stood stiffly beside him. He wasn't sure what they'd done, but apparently it was enough to make her uncomfortable. It made him want to trail after them just to pummel them to death. Somehow he didn't think that would win him any points with the lady beside him, though he did give it some serious thought before shrugging aside the idea.

Lilian moved woodenly in Shane's arms. She could feel the tears pricking at the backs of her eyes. It hurt so badly to be reminded that someone had to be dared to even consider asking her out. What was so wrong with her that the guys couldn't just ask her out?

As the song came to a close she stepped out of Shane's embrace. She thanked him for a lovely evening and walked off the dance floor, leaving Shane to stare after her in confusion. He could hear some of the others beginning to snicker and felt his face flame. He trotted off the dance floor after the woman that had stolen his heart.

He caught up to her near the doors. He grabbed her arm, halting her retreat. She turned tear filled blue eyes to him. "Wait, please. I don't understand what happened," Shane confessed.

"Please, Shane, don't make a scene," Lilian implored. She noticed that her friends were already making their way over to them. She had to go now before she embarrassed herself even more.

"You can't just leave. Not like this. At least tell me what I've done."

"You already know what you did. I know about the dare," she said quietly, unaware that her friends were standing nearby. "Trish told me all about it. How the only reason I even got asked to this was because you were dared to."

"I'm going to kill that bitch slowly," Lita ground out.

"You have to get to her before I do," Victoria put in.

"Wait for me," Stacy chimed in following after them. The three of them went off to find one Trish Stratus and ruin her night.

"Lilian, please, listen to me," Shane begged, uncaring that they were now starting to draw a crowd.

What could she do? He still had a hold of her arm. She wasn't about to make a scene. He ran a hand through his hair and sighing harshly. "The reason that Lita dared me to ask you out was because I was too afraid to say anything to you."

Lilian was shocked. Lita had been in on this and hadn't told her about it? The next time she saw the redhead she was going to get it with both barrels, she thought darkly. She was so lost in thoughts of her friend's destruction that she almost missed his next words.

His hand rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I couldn't seem to find a way to just come right out and ask you. I've tried. Numerous times," he explained. "I always ended up backing out at the last minute, too afraid that you would say no, or worse laugh in my face." Shane turned to look directly at her. "What I'm trying to say here Lilian is that I love you."

"I," she started, a tirade dying on her lips as what he said finally began to sink in. "You love me?"

"As if you didn't know," Bubba Ray said from the sidelines.

She frowned at the man. "No I didn't," she defended.

"How could you not," Shannon Moore asked, clearly confused. "When you're around everyone else ceases to exist."

"I-I-I," she stumbled. She was at a loss as to how to answer. She really had no idea that he'd felt this way about her.

"Guys, could you give us some privacy," Shane stated. Once the others had moved away from them he turned back to her. He stared deep into her cerulean eyes. "I, Shane Helms, love you, Lilian Garcia."

Lilian squealed and launched herself into Shane's waiting arms. He held her in his arms savoring the feel of her pressed so close to him. Slowly he lowered his head, giving her a chance to stop or say something. She did neither; instead she closed her eyes as she felt Shane's lips close over hers.


End file.
